About Alighiero e Boetti

Conceptual artist Alighiero e Boetti was associated with the Arte Povera movement. Heavily influenced by his travels to Afghanistan, in his "Mappa" series (1971-92), Boetti directed Afghan craftswomen to embroider maps with geopolitical entities represented by their flags. His 1993 work Alternating 1 to 100 and Vice Versa, a kilim (woven tapestry), similarly recruited others for the design and execution. Boetti was preoccupied with the tension between order and disorder or chance, as seen in his recurring grid structures. Viewing himself as a dual being, he introduced the "e" (meaning "and") into his name to signify a twinned nature.